Microsoft on Monday will kick off an advertising blitz for its Surface tablet, the software company's first-ever foray into the computer hardware making business, with a commercial set to air during ESPN's Monday Night Football.

First spotted by The Verge, the commercial is part of Microsoft's huge $1 billion Windows 8 ad campaign, which began in earnest on Sunday ahead of the new operating system's launch on Oct. 26.

With the first Surface spot, Microsoft focused on the "clicking" noise made when a user attaches the tablet's magnetic keyboard-cum-cover, as well as the soft snapping sound heard when the unit's kickstand is opened and closed. The commercial is more of an introduction to the device than a spec-heavy listing of features, perhaps meant as a first step to acclimate consumers to the idea that Microsoft is now entering the hardware market.

Taking more than a little inspiration from successful iPod commercials, the ad features a troupe of dancers who manipulate the device to create a drum break-like beat that slowly builds to a crescendo of feverish clicking and snapping.

Not much is shown off in the way of device specs, or even the ARM-based Windows RT version of Microsoft's new operating system powering the Surface. There are a few glimpses of the homescreen and a few live tiles, but the commercial is mostly a teaser.

Earlier in October, Microsoft started a guerrilla marketing campaign close to a Chicago area Apple Store, drawing "graffiti style" Surface representations on the brick wall of a nearby car washing establishment.

Along with the new Surface commercial, Microsoft also announced the Xbox Music service, a direct competitor to Apple's iTunes that will be available on Windows 8 PCs, Windows Phone 8 and the Xbox 360.

The Redmond, Washington, company is scheduled to launch Windows 8 alongside alongside the ARM-powered version of its Surface tablet on Oct. 26.

Microsoft on Monday will kick off an advertising blitz for its Surface tablet, the software company's first-ever foray into the hardware making business, with a commercial set to air during ESPN's Monday Night Football.

I don't think it's a good ad. It's fine to have an ad that doesn't show how the device can useful after you'v established product and market. Exhibit 1: The iconic silhouette iPod ads.

In principle I agree with you. However, MS needs to get people to notice that they are entering this market.

Everybody knows Apple owns the market and there are several players scraping sales at the margins. I don't think it is unreasonable to try to attach your product to some pizzazz _before_ it gets compared to the standard. If they start out by trying to make it look useful, they are probably already lost (because if people want useful, they may as well get an iPad).

In principle I agree with you. However, MS needs to get people to notice that they are entering this market.

Everybody knows Apple owns the market and there are several players scraping sales at the margins. I don't think it is unreasonable to try to attach your product to some pizzazz _before_ it gets compared to the standard. If they start out by trying to make it look useful, they are probably already lost (because if people want useful, they may as well get an iPad).

If the Surface becomes a success and gains a respectable hold on the tablet market in a way WinPh has yet to capture then you'll have a guaranteed mea culpa from me. Outside of that I'd say it's debatable. I think you make a solid counter-argument but I still think MS should have come out with solid "this is how you use this device" ads, not this empty razzmatazz*.

* That word doesn't get used enough.

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

And it's not nearly as bad as I expected. I thought there'd be singing after the High School Musical reference, but it's just a reasonably catchy instrumental.

It's a memorable ad, and it serves to demonstrate the two key physical differentiating factors from the iPad just fine. Software can come later, and probably won't be nearly as much of a selling point.

If the screen really shows up that well in bright sunlight, I'm impressed. But I suspect they juiced the screen images in post.

Edit: Also, if those schoolgirls were creepy, you may be creepy. They were hardly salaciously filmed.

I gotta tell you, I just downloaded the latest MSN app update and they've adopted the whole Windows 8 colored blocks scheme ... It's an absolute bloody nightmare. Seriously it's distracting to the point where I don't know what I'm reading, or where to look. Apple has made some UI changes that I haven't appreciated, but I gotta hand it to Em, they KNOW how to design a useable UI.

Who wants to take bets MS will change this whole colored blocks thing within a year of launch? And it will look like OS X?

In 1980, Microsoft made a card that plugged into an Apple II computer. The card was called the Softcard and contained a Z80 processor chip which allowed the Apple II to run the CP/M operating system. I'm pretty sure that was Microsoft's first hardware venture. This was long before the IBM PC and MS DOS and Microsoft's main product was Microsoft Basic that ran on 8080 and Z80 systems. (they also sold a floating point version of Basic which ran on the Apple II with it's 6502 chip. It could be used in place of the Integer Basic written by Steve Wozniak.)

The problem I see with Windows 8 is so many controls are hidden unless you have the cursor in the right place, this gets old quickly. Also, it's designed to be a tablet & touch-centric OS first that has such a poorly designed fallback mode for mouse and keyboard based computers, I don't know why they bothered to offer a desktop version of the OS. The new UI seriously gimps any large screened computer to a setup that's appropriate for a 10" screen at most.

Please somebody tell me what the hell is a keyboard-cum-cover? I Googled it but still no luck. How someone can propose this as reasonable marketing strategy or brand name choice is beyond idiotic. Ok, I'm imagining a marketing meeting (I've been in plenty) and someones says "I've got it!" 'Cum Cover' that's the ticket! Didn't any eyes roll back into their heads?

If the Surface becomes a success and gains a respectable hold on the tablet market in a way WinPh has yet to capture then you'll have a guaranteed mea culpa from me. Outside of that I'd say it's debatable. I think you make a solid counter-argument but I still think MS should have come out with solid "this is how you use this device" ads, not this empty razzmatazz*.
* That word doesn't get used enough.

I didn't mean to make it sound like I am betting on the Surface or this campaign succeeding. MS has a huge image problem and the general public, as far as I can tell, hasn't been saying "I wonder what cool new stuff MS is working on?" for quite some time now! (The Zune and Windows Phone campaigns have shown that they can throw a lot of money into pushing something that isn't completely awful and still not sell any...)

However, I don't hate this first volley. They have to catch some attention first (empty razzmatazz works well for that if it is fun enough) before they can make the solid stick. If they are going to drop a $billion on this, a few million to get noticed in a light, positive, non-Windows Vista sorta way is no deal-breaker for me...

The problem I see with Windows 8 is so many controls are hidden unless you have the cursor in the right place, this gets old quickly. Also, it's designed to be a tablet & touch-centric OS first that has such a poorly designed fallback mode for mouse and keyboard based computers, I don't know why they bothered to offer a desktop version of the OS. The new UI seriously gimps any large screened computer to a setup that's appropriate for a 10" screen at most.

Supporting two operating systems such as OS X and iOS must be a tricky business but will permit at least, convergence of the two technologies to be driven by advancing hardware and knowledge, rather than expediency.

Please somebody tell me what the hell is a keyboard-cum-cover? I Googled it but still no luck. How someone can propose this as reasonable marketing strategy or brand name choice is beyond idiotic. Ok, I'm imagining a marketing meeting (I've been in plenty) and someones says "I've got it!" 'Cum Cover' that's the ticket! Didn't any eyes roll back into their heads?

LOL! people are having fun with the different definitions of "cum" here. Ostensibly, the author was using the word, not as you learned in middle school but to mean "together with."

I liked the ad, but from everything I've seen, Win8's UI is just not doing it for me it's just sooo fugly, just another step down for MS. They really have no clue, and I'm a happy PC user. Win7 was fast and stable but they stripped out some seriously good desktop features (like each folder remembering it settings), just ridiculous and frustrating things that keep me on Vista for my main workstation. But I built a Win7 Media center that boots in 10 sec, hums away in a closet with a 5T Raid recording 8 shows simultaneously with a Commercial skipping add-on that's such a killer feature, streaming to X-Box Clients in the other rooms in our house (and via Remote Potato on the iPad or iPhone). So MS makes some amazing stuff, they just have no taste as has been said before. They should just do what they do best, get a real call center that can really help users, and be happy owning the market they already have. Instead they just piss away money to try to become something they will never be...

And despite all those clueless ads.... Microsoft still has 90% of the market.
353 million PCs were sold last year... all toting a Microsoft OS.
Yes... PC sales are declining... it's being reported that only 348 million PCs will be sold this year.
Microsoft is doomed because of bad advertising... right?

Well, I think MS is selling all those PCs because of momentum resulting from a long term near monopoly on business computer usage, not because of their advertising.

And despite all those clueless ads.... Microsoft still has 90% of the market.
353 million PCs were sold last year... all toting a Microsoft OS.
Yes... PC sales are declining... it's being reported that only 348 million PCs will be sold this year.
Microsoft is doomed because of bad advertising... right?

"The vis insita, or innate force of matter, is a power of resisting by which every body, as much as in it lies, endeavours to preserve its present state, whether it be of rest or of moving uniformly forward in a straight line."

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

The ad is meant to show that MS has entered the tablet market and to a certain extent it succeeds. But I found the ad to be unfocused and wonder if it will serve to confuse rather than clarify for you average punter. I wonder if people will think 'its kinda like an iPad, but with a keyboard', and not really care. I think a keyboard can be handy on a tablet but I wonder if it is counter productive as a selling point. If the keyboard is such a big deal why not get a laptop?

In 1980, Microsoft made a card that plugged into an Apple II computer. The card was called the Softcard and contained a Z80 processor chip which allowed the Apple II to run the CP/M operating system. I'm pretty sure that was Microsoft's first hardware venture. This was long before the IBM PC and MS DOS and Microsoft's main product was Microsoft Basic that ran on 8080 and Z80 systems. (they also sold a floating point version of Basic which ran on the Apple II with it's 6502 chip. It could be used in place of the Integer Basic written by Steve Wozniak.)

So... SoftCard means they are ready to make a modern tablet?
Seems logical to me. Carry on.